


Why You?

by rainforestgeek



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-08-14 11:17:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20191402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainforestgeek/pseuds/rainforestgeek
Summary: Marinette has pulled away from Adrien and he can't deal.





	Why You?

Marinette was acting weird. Last week she’d been the same klutzy, friendly girl as always. But for the past two days she’s acted so reserved - at least around Adrien - that he’d almost describe her as icy. He watched her interact with Alya and Nino and all their classmates without change. So what did he do to make her pull away from him?

On day three, walking into class, Adrien gulped nervously. “Hi Marinette.”

She didn’t look up from the tablet on her desk. “Good morning, Adrien.” He sighed and sat down. There was nothing _ rude _that she was doing per se. But Marinette had randomly reverted to a state of formal politeness and it was rattling his nerves.

On Tuesday he’d asked if she wanted to come to one of his photoshoots next weekend. She’d become a semi-regular guest of his, so much so the artists and photographers were on a first-name basis with her. She’d ask questions during prep, taking notes, and sketch during the actual shoots. This time she said she needed to help her parents with the bakery and babysit all weekend. But instead of blushing and looking disappointed like she normally did when she couldn’t make it, Marinette avoided his eyes, told him “see you tomorrow,” and walked away with her back ramrod straight.

Yesterday, during lunch, she bantered easily with their other friends but only talked to Adrien when he asked her a direct question. Later that day he dropped by the bakery purportedly to buy some danishes he and Kagami could share after fencing practice. Really he was hoping to see her, joke around and get her to laugh, maybe ask what was wrong. Marinette _ was _ working the cash register and showed him a facade of careful, friendly professionalism that he was _ so not used to _ from her. It was like her attitude toward him faded from bright pink to pale blue.

And it’s the third day of her acting like this. Three days, officially making it a pattern.

Adrien didn’t need this. Ladybug was already pissed at him so now he was on the verge of losing half of his closest friends.

It felt like cheating, but he really wanted to see her smile at him again. So that night Chat Noir landed on her balcony.

“Hi Marinette.” She jumped at his voice and shot up from her lounge chair. “How fares my Princess in her tower?”

Marinette frowned at him. “What are you doing here, Chat Noir? It’s late.”

“Not terribly late. I saw you up and wanted to say hi.”

“Hi, Chat Noir.” She turned to the city skyline and leaned against her railing. Avoiding his face.

“Are you okay, Marinette?”

She had the audacity to look surprised. “I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

“You’re quiet. And you’re not looking at me.”

“I’m just tired.”

“But today - ” Chat Noir bit his tongue at the last second. He was too close to admitting who he was. Ladybug would throw a fit if he revealed his identity twice in one week.

(It’s not like he de transformed on purpose! It was a tricky Akuma and he was so exhausted he didn’t hear his ring go off, okay?)

He sighed deeply, and placed a clawed hand on her shoulder. “All right. I’ll leave if you want, but if you need someone to talk to...feel free to chew on my ear.”

He felt her shake. Alarmed, he bent over to see her face and watched a tear roll off her nose and fall to the ground. “Oh my god, are you crying? Marinette, what happened?”

“You, you stupid cat!” She threw his hand off her and clenched her hair in her fists. He realized she wasn’t wearing her usual pigtails.

Chat’s heart leapt into his throat. “Please, Marinette, what did I do? I promise I’ll make it right!”

Marinette laughed a harsh, rueful sound to the sky. “Unless you can roll back time or, or erase my memory...you can’t _ do _anything, kitty.” His breath hitched. “You’re not safe! Adrien was supposed to be safe!”

He was struck dumb. He felt like his entire body got shot with a thousand volts. But Marinette was on a roll and gave him no chance to recover.

“I can’t worry about you and be in love with you at the same time, it’s too much!”

“WHAT?”

Marinette’s eyes went huge. She covered her mouth with her hands, staring at him, then seemed to resign herself to something. Her next words came so softly he figured he only heard them because of magical cat ears. “I’m in love with you, Adrien.”

“How - how did you find out? Is this why you’ve been pulling away from me?”

She nodded.

“But _ why _? Is it - are you mad that I’m Chat Noir? Are you angry I didn’t tell you?”

“Yes, I’m mad! At fate, the universe, God, Master Fu, whoever decided to make me fall in love with a martyr! You know what you did, kitty, you ran your miraculous out in front of me and showed your face, that’s what you did!”

“Master Fu?” The pieces finally clicked together in his brain. “_ Ladybug? _”

Marinette leaned her face into his chest and clenched her fists against the black leather. “You know why I kept you at a distance? Because I’ve watched you _ die, _ Chat _ . _ I’ve had to watch you disappear, get cursed and brutally injured, sacrifice yourself for me. How can I let myself love my partner when I know he’ll just jump in the line of fire?”

“Plagg, claws in.” Adrien wrapped his arms around Marinette’s shoulders and let her cry into his shirt.

“Then I find out the boy I’m already in love with is that _ same stupid boy _?!” she sobbed. “Do you know what that’s like? I can’t lose you!”

Adrien placed his chin on her head and stayed silent until she’d cried herself out. He just held her while he glared at Plagg to keep his mouth shut.

“I do,” he finally said.

“What?”

“I know what it’s like. Mari, I’ve watched Ladybug jump into a T. Rex’s mouth. How am I supposed to handle knowing that was you?” Adrien pulled away and took her face into his hands, gently wiping the tear tracks from her pink cheeks. “You scare the hell out of me, bug. But that’s why there are two of us. Together, we always come back.”

She wrapped her fingers around his wrists. He was afraid she’d push him away, but instead she just gripped him in place. “This is hard,” she murmured.

“Yeah. But I’ll never stop having your back, because I know you’ve got mine.”

“...I love you.”

“And I love you.”


End file.
